Iran wants to take US to international court over re-imposed sanctions

Tehran has announced that it has filed a complaint against the US in the International Court of Justice over President Donald Trumps decision to re-impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic after he ditched the nuclear deal.

By bringing the case to the court, Iran hopes to “hold the US accountable” for its “unlawful” return to the sanctions policy, the nations foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Monday. “Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of the US contempt for diplomacy and legal obligations. It's imperative to counter its habit of violating international law.”

Today Iran filed a complaint @CIJ_ICJ to hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions. Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy & legal obligations. It's imperative to counter its habit of violating int'l law.

Under the terms of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed by Iran, the US, China, Russia and the EU, Tehran was drastically reducing its uranium stockpile and the number of centrifuges in exchange for the lifting of West-backed sanctions. Irans fulfillment of the commitments under the deal was confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Despite the atomic watchdogs verdict, earlier this year Trump chose to unilaterally withdraw from the JCPOA. He blasted the deal as “defective at its core” and cited deep distrust towards Iran as reasons for scrapping the existing framework. Trumps move met heavy criticism from the EU, as well as Beijing and Moscow, all of whom decided to stick to the deal even with the US leaving.

The Iran Deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know what will happen. In just a short time, the worlds leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the worlds most dangerous weapons…. pic.twitter.com/58qwBLzxIH

Over the course of several months, Iranian officials have been warning that the country can quickly return to the pre-JCPOA reality and start producing weapons-grade enriched uranium. Nevertheless, foreign affairs chief Zarif praised the nuclear deal on Saturday, saying it remains the “triumph of multilateral diplomacy despite the US actions.”

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the UNs judicial body tasked with resolving disputes between sovereign nations. The court sits at The Hague in the Netherlands.

Iran had a separate case against the US lodged to the ICJ in 2016. It concerns Irans foreign assets, frozen by the West as part of the sanctions regime. Tehrans complaint was sparked by the US Supreme Court which ruled in favor of transferring seized Iranian money to around 1,000 survivors and relatives of the victims of the 80s and the 90s terror attacks against the US citizens abroad. Washington blames Iran for sponsoring the attacks. The courts hearing of the case will commence in October.